Honoring Our Vietnam War

Transcription

1 Name: BARRICK CONRAD L. Vietnam Era Service Branch: ARMY Unit / Squadron: Vietnam War Veteran Rank: SP4 Hometown: WEST SENECA Address: 39 WALTERCREST TERRACE Year Entered: 1965 Year Discharged: 1971 Medals / Citations: B BATTERY 3RD MISSILE BATTALION 1ST ARTILLERY Served in War Zone Theater of Operations / Assignment: Service Notes: Sp4 Conrad Barrick was a driver mechanic during his service years Base Assignments: Ft. Dix, New Jersey - Fort Dix was established on 16 July 1917 as Camp Dix, named in honor of Major General John Adams Dix, a veteran of the War of 1812 the American Civil War, a former United States Senator, Secretary of the Treasury Governor of New York / Ft. Dix was used for the mobilization, training demobilizion of soldiers from World War I through April 2015 / On 1 October 2009, Fort Dix was consolidated with an adjoining U.S. Air Force Navy facility to become part of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL) Nike Site PI-37, Herminie, Pa - Air Defense site PI-37 was officially activated in 1957 / PI-37 was part of ARAACOM (Army Anti-Aircraft Comm), its designation was B Battery, 1st AAA Msl Bn / B Battery was one of 12 Nike Air Defense sites defending Pittsburgh / It was armed with the Nike Ajax, the worlds first operational, guided Surface to Air Missile / This missile carried high explosive warheads had a range of around 30 miles with a ceiling of 70,000 feet / Beginning in 1962, the Improved Nike Hercules System with its greater range accuracy was introduced to B Battery / On 1 September 1971, the 1st Artillery was renamed 1st Air Defense Artillery / The Herminie Nike site was deactivated in mid During its operational years, from 1956 to 1974, the Herminie Nike site was manned by an estimated 1,200 Regular Army personnel. Miscelleaneous: Conrad Barrick graduated from West Seneca West High School prior to military service / After his discharge, Barrrick went to work for the Westinghouse Electric Corp in Cheektowaga until 1964 / Conrad Barrick became a

2 correction officer at Wende Correctional Facility until his retirement

3 Name: BEITER ROGER J. Vietnam Era Service Branch: MARINE CORPS. Unit / Squadron: Vietnam War Veteran Rank: PFC Hometown: WEST SENECA Address: 136 WESTCLIFF DRIVE Year Entered: 1964 Year Discharged: KIA Medals / Citations: Served in War Zone Theater of Operations / Assignment: Service Notes: Private First Class Roger J. Beiter died in the crash of an Air Force Military Transport on 25 June 1965 An Air Force C-135A Stratolifter mililtary jet transport, unaccountably failing to make a scheduled left turn, plunged into a fog-shrouded mountain exploded after takeoff on 25 June 1965, killing all 84 men aboard -- including 72 Marines bound for Viet Nam. There were no survivors in one of the worst military air disasters in peacetime history. It also was California's worst air disaster. The C135 air transport, military counterpart of the commercial Boeing 707 jetliner, smashed into a mountain 4 1/2 miles directly north of the end of the runway from which it took off moments before Base Assignments: Parris Isl, South Carolina - Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Isl is a Marine Corps. military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina. MCRD Parris Isl was established on 1 November 1915 designated for the training of enlisted Marines. Male recruits living east of the Mississippi River female recruits from all over the United States report to Parris Isl to receive their initial training. Camp LeJeune, North Carolina - Constructed in May 1941, Camp LeJeune is a Marine Corps. amphibious assault training facility located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The camps is also the home of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Forces in Readiness. Miscelleaneous: Roger Beiter was a graduate of Queen of Heaven School was enrolled as a Freshman at Canisius College at the time of his enlistment Private First Class Rodger J. Beiter was 18 years of age at the time of his death.

4 The Boeing C-135 Stratolifter is a transport aircraft derived from the prototype Boeing jet airliner in the early 1950s. It has a narrower fuselage is shorter than the commercial 707 airliner / Since the first one was built in August 1956, the C-135 its variants have been a fixture of the United States Air Force / The C-135A had seating for 126 passengers powered by four J-57-P-59W engines

5 Name: BETZ JR. JOHN A Hometown: DEPEW Address: Vietnam Era Vietnam War Veteran Service Branch: ARMY Rank: SP-5 Year Entered: 1966 Year Discharged: 1969 Unit / Squadron: HIGHER HEADQUARTERS (HHQ) 39TH SIGNAL BATTALION 1ST SIGNAL BRIGADE 2ND ARMORED DIVISION Medals / Citations: VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL W/SILVER STAR SHARPSHOOTER: RIFLE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL DRIVER AND MECHANIC BADGE Served in War Zone Service Notes: Theater of Operations / Assignment: VIETNAM Base Assignments: Ft. Dix, New Jersey - Fort Dix was established on 16 July 1917 as Camp Dix, named in honor of Major General John Adams Dix, a veteran of the War of 1812 the American Civil War, a former United States Senator, Secretary of the Treasury Governor of New York / Ft. Dix was used for the mobilization, training demobilizion of soldiers from World War I through April 2015 / On 1 October 2009, Fort Dix was consolidated with an adjoining U.S. Air Force Navy facility to become part of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL) Fort Belvoir, Virginia - The base was founded during World War I as Camp A. A. Humphreys, named for Union Civil War general Andrew A. Humphreys, who was also Chief of Engineers / The post was renamed Fort Belvoir in the 1930s in recognition of the Belvoir plantation that once occupied the site, but the adjacent United States Army Corps of Engineers Humphreys Engineer Center retains part of the original name / Fort Belvoir was initially the home of the Army Engineer School prior to its relocation in the 1980s to Fort Leonard Wood, in Missouri / Fort Belvoir serves as the headquarters for the Defense Logistics Agency, the Defense Acquisition University, the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Defense Technical Information Center, the United States Army Intelligence Security Comm, the United States Army Military Intelligence Readiness Comm, the Missile Defense Agency, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, all agencies of the United States Department of Defense

6 Vũng Tàu, Vietnam - Vũng Tàu is a port city the capital of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province, on a peninsula in southern Vietnam / During the Vietnam War, various United States military units were headquartered in Vũng Tàu Fort George G. Meade, Maryl - Located in Maryl, midway between the cities of Baltimore, Annapolis Washington, DC, the fort was initially called Camp Annapolis Junction was opened as "Camp Admiral" in 1917 / The post was called Camp Meade Cantonment Field Signal School by 1918 / During World War II, Fort Meade was used as a recruit training post prisoner of war camp / Fort George G. Meade's primary mission is to provide a wide range of services to 95 partner organizations from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines Coast Guard, as well as to several federal agencies including the National Security Agency, the U.S. Army Recruiting Comm, the Defense Information School, the Defense Courier Service, the U.S. Army Field B most recently the U.S. Cyber Comm Fort Hood, Texas - Located in Killeen, Texas, the United States Army post was named after Confederate General John Bell Hood is the largest military base in the world (by area) with more than 215,000 acres / During the late 1960's, Fort Hood trained deployed a number of units individuals for duty in Vietnam / As the United States ended its role in the conflict, thouss of returning soldiers completed their active duty with one of the fort's divisions Miscelleaneous: John A Betz Jr. graduated from Depew High School prior to his military service / After receiving his Honorable Discharge from the Army, Betz was employed by Erie Community College (ECC) where he spent 50 years in the Heating, Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) field Originally constituted as the 3907th Signal Service Battalion in 1944, the battalion was designated on 19 July 1951 as Headquarters Headquarters Company, 39th Signal Support Battalion, allotted to the Regular Army / The battalion was later reorganized designated on 15 June 1954 as Headquarters Headquarters Detachment, 39th Signal Battalion / The 39th Signal Battalion received many Army Meritorious Unit Commendations for service in Vietnam The 1st Signal Brigade was activated on 1 April 1966 in the Republic of Vietnam / The brigade's mission in Vietnam was to originate, install, operate, maintain a complex communication system that fused tactical strategic communications in Southeast Asia under a single, unified comm /The formation of the brigade brought together three signal groups that were already in South Vietnam / At the peak of the Vietnam War the brigade consisted of more than 21,000 soldiers, in six Signal groups (including the 160th Signal Group), 22 signal battalions several communications agencies, making the 1st Signal Brigade the largest signal unit in the U.S. Army at the time The 2nd Armored Division ("Hell on Wheels") was an armored division of the United States Army / The division played an important role during World War II in the invasions of North Africa Sicily the liberation of France, Belgium, the Netherls the invasion of Germany / The First Battalion, Fiftieth Infantry; Second Squadron, First Cavalry; First Battalion, Fourteenth Field Artillery; First Battalion, Ninety-second Field Artillery fought in the war in Vietnam / During the Cold War, the division was primarily based at Fort Hood, Texas, had a reinforced brigade forward stationed in West Germany / After participation in the Persian Gulf

7 War, the division was deactivated in 1995 / Its units were later transferred to the 4th Infantry Division

8 Name: BEYER FREDERICK J. Vietnam Era Vietnam War Veteran Service Branch: NAVY Rank: E-3 Hometown: MARYSVILLE, PA Address: Year Entered: 1963 Year Discharged: 1965 Unit / Squadron: USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9) Medals / Citations: GOLDEN SHELLBACK Served in War Zone Theater of Operations / Assignment: Service Notes: Hospitalman Frederick J. Beyer attended Operating Room School at Bethesda Naval Hospital was enrolled in the Hospital Corpsman School at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois Base Assignments: Great Lakes Training Center, Illinois - Home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois / Naval Station Great Lakes is the second largest military installation in Illinois the largest training station in the Navy Bethesda Naval Hospital, Maryl - The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), formerly known as the National Naval Medical Center referred to as the Bethesda Naval Hospital Bethesda, Walter Reed, or Navy Med, is a tri-service military medical center located in the community of Bethesda, Maryl, near the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health / It is one of the most prominent U.S. military medical centers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area the United States, having served numerous U.S. presidents since the 20th century / In 1938, the United States Congress appropriated funds for the acquisition of l for the construction of a new Naval medical center, President Franklin D. Roosevelt selected the present site in Bethesda, Maryl, on 5 July 1938 / In 2011, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), named after yellow fever researcher Walter Reed, was combined with the National Naval Medical Center to form the tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Miscelleaneous: Prior to his enlistment in the Navy, Frederick Beyer graduated from Susquenita High School in Duncannon, Pennsylvania / After his Honorable Discharge from the Navy, Beyer attended graduated with a Bachelors of

9 Arts Degree from Manahath Bible College in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania / Beyer continued his education enrolled at the Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, Virginia where he received his Master of Divinity (M. Div.) degree the Grace Theological Seminary, located in Winona Lake, Indiana, where Beyer earned his Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) degree (religious equivalent of the Ph.D.). After completing his education, Frederick Beyer started his career as a Chaplain serving his community performing his duties at Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital, Children's Hospital of Buffalo also at Hospice Buffalo The Golden Shellback - The ceremony of Crossing the Line is an initiation rite in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Marine Corps that commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the Equator / The ceremony observes a mariner's transformation from a slimy Pollywog (a seaman who hasn't crossed the equator), to a trusted Shellback (also called a Son or Daughter of Neptune) / It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness / The tradition may have originated with ceremonies to ensure a ship's newest mates were capable of hling long rough times at sea The USS Long Beach (CLGN-160/CGN-160/CGN-9) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy / She was the only ship of her class the third Navy ship named after the city of Long Beach, California was the first nuclear power surface warship in history / The Long Beach was commissioned on 9 September 1961 / The Long Beach served with the 6th Fleet in the early 1960's providing peacekeeping in the Mediterranean in the later 1960's was deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin to support naval operations during the Vietnam War / The Long Beach was again deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in the 1990's, serving as an escort for the USS Missouri task force providing aircraft carrier escort support after the Gulf War / The USS Long Beach was decommissioned on 1 May 1995 sold as scrap in July 2012

10 Name: BIALKOWSKI JOHN J. Vietnam Era Service Branch: NAVY Unit / Squadron: Vietnam War Veteran Rank: CN Hometown: WEST SENECA Address: 46 EASTWOOD DRIVE Year Entered: 1965 Year Discharged: KIA Medals / Citations: SEABEES - ELECTRICIAN NAVAL MOBILE CONSTUCTION BATTALION 11 (NMCB11) 3RD NAVAL CONSTRUCTION (NC) BRIGADE (BDE), UNITED STATES NAVAL FORCES VIETNAM (USNAVFORV) VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE RIBBON REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL Served in War Zone Service Notes: Theater of Operations / Assignment: VIETNAM Constructionman John J. Bialkowski started his tour of duty in Vietnam in April 1967 was Killed in Action on 24 June 1967 during enemy fire in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam Bialkowski trained as a Construction Electrician (Power Lineman) Base Assignments: Great Lakes Training Center, Illinois - Home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois / Naval Station Great Lakes is the second largest military installation in Illinois the largest training station in the Navy Davisville, Rhode Isl - was formerly the home of the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, which housed the United States Navy's SeaBees / The Navy acquired the property in 1939 built Naval Air Station Quonset Point / In 1942, adjoining properties were developed for training Seabees, including the Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) at Davisville / After World War II, the Naval Air Station remained in operation, but the NCBC was inactive until 1951, when the site was designated Headquarters, NCBC / The Naval Air Station was decommissioned in Miscelleaneous:

11 John Bialkowski was a graduate of West Seneca Senior High School attended the Erie County technical Institute before joining the Navy in December 1965 John Bialkowski was 21 years of age at the time of his death. John is buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery A Seabee is a member of the United States Naval Construction Forces (NCF) / The word "Seabee" comes from the initials "CB", which in turn comes from the term "Construction Battalion" / The Seabees have a history of building bases, bulldozing paving thouss of miles of roadway airstrips, accomplishing countless other construction projects in a wide variety of military theaters dating back to World War II

12 Name: BOERSCHIG GARY L. Vietnam Era Service Branch: NAVY Unit / Squadron: Vietnam War Veteran Rank: PO-2 Hometown: WEST SENECA Address: 884 MILL ROAD Year Entered: 1968 Year Discharged: 1971 Medals / Citations: USS INDEPENDENCE (CV/CVA-62) ELECTRONIC ATTACK SQUADRON 133 (VAQ-133) AIRCREWMAN WINGS SQUADRON UNIT CITATION GOOD CONDUCT RIBBON Served in War Zone Theater of Operations / Assignment: Service Notes: Petty Officer Gary L. Boerschig was assigned to the flight crew aboard a Grumman HU-16 Albatross as a radioman flew rescue goodwill missions to the Marianna Marshall Isl chains / Boerschig also flew Air-Sea Rescue missions while stationed at NAS Agana / As an Aviation Electronics Technician (AT-2), Petty Officer Boerschig perform maintenance on aviation electronics systems, which included: communications, radar, navigation, antisubmarine warfare sensors, electronic warfare, data link, fire control tactical displays Base Assignments: Naval Air Station (N.A.S.) Agana, Guam - Former Japanese Military Field recaptured by American forces in 1944 renamed Agana Airfield / After being repaired in October 1944, the United States Army Air Forces Seventh Air Force used the airfield as a base for the 11th Bombardment Group, which flew B-24 Liberator bombers from the station / In 1947, the USAAF turned over the airfield to the United States Navy / Naval Air Station Agana was closed in 1993 Naval Air Station Alameda, California - Naval air station facilities were constructed in 1940 for two carrier air wings, five seaplane squadrons two utility squadrons / In April 1942, the USS Hornet (CV-8) loaded at Alameda the 16 B-25 aircraft that would take part in the Doolittle Raid on Japan / The base was the focus for northern California United States Navy Reserve drill after 1961 / Runways were lengthened for jet aircraft, the airport was renamed Nimitz Field in 1967 following the death of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz / Nuclear powered aircraft carriers were home ported at Alameda into the 1990s / NAS Alameda was closed on 25 April 1997

13 Miscelleaneous: Gary Boerschig was a graduate of West Seneca West Senior High School / Prior to military service, Boerschig attended Roberts Wesleyan College for three years worked at Hanna Furnace during the summer breaks / After an honorable discharge, Gary Boerschig went to work at Allied Chemical as a Chemical Operator Welder until his retirement in 1982 / Gary retrained received his Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree as an Electrical Engineer Technician from Erie Community College The fifth USS Independence (CV/CVA-62) was an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy entered service in 1959 as the fourth final member of the Forrestal class of conventionally powered supercarriers / Independence made a single tour off the coast of Vietnam in 1965 during the Vietnam War, also carried out airstrikes against Syrian forces during the Lebanese Civil War operations over Iraq during Operation Southern Watch, the enforcement of the no-fly zone over southern Iraq / The USS Independence was decommissioned in 1998 after 39 years of active service. Electronic Attack Squadron 133 (VAQ-133) was established 4 March 1969 at Naval Air Station Alameda, California. The squadron originally flew the EKA-3B Skywarrior / Following the deployment of Carrier Air Wing 9 onboard USS John C. Stennis, VAQ-133 was reassigned to Carrier Air Wing Eight based aboard USS George H.W. Bush The Aircrewman Badge, commonly known as Wings, is a qualification badge of the United States military that is awarded by all five branches of armed services to personnel who serve as crew members on board military aircraft / The badge is intended to recognize the training qualifications required by aircrew of military aircraft / In order to qualify as an aircrew member receive the Aircrew Badge, such personnel typically undergo advanced training in aircraft in-flight support roles The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large twin radial engine amphibious flying boat that was used by the United States Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Navy (USN) the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), primarily as a search rescue aircraft / It was also employed as an operational support aircraft worldwide for missions from the former NAS Agana, Guam during the Vietnam War / Goodwill flights were also common to the surrounding Trust Territory of the Pacific Isls in the early 1970s.

14 Name: BORYSZEWSKI STEPHEN J. Vietnam Era Service Branch: MARINE CORP. Unit / Squadron: Vietnam War Veteran Rank: LCPL Hometown: WEST SENECA Address: 51 TINDLE Year Entered: 1968 Year Discharged: KIA Medals / Citations: H CO, 2ND BATTALION, 1ST FIRST MARINE DIVISION (MARDIV), III MARINE AMPHIBIOUS FORCES (MAF) PURPLE HEART REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE RIBBON Served in War Zone Service Notes: Theater of Operations / Assignment: VIETNAM Lance Corporal Stephen J. Boryszewski was Killed in Action on 10 April 1969 while on duty with the First Marine Division near Da Nang, South Vietnam / Corporal Boryszewski died of fragmentation wounds when an enemy l mine exploded Base Assignments: Parris Isl, South Carolina - Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Isl is a Marine Corps. military installation located within Port Royal, South Carolina. MCRD Parris Isl was established on 1 November 1915 designated for the training of enlisted Marines. Male recruits living east of the Mississippi River female recruits from all over the United States report to Parris Isl to receive their initial training. Miscelleaneous: Stephen Boryszewski was a 1967 graduate of South Park High School enlisted into the Marine Corps in May 1968 Lance Corporal Stephen J. Boryszewski was 19 years of age at the time of his death

15 Name: BOSSMAN PETER R. Vietnam Era Service Branch: NAVY Unit / Squadron: Vietnam War Veteran Rank: HM3 Hometown: WEST SENECA Address: 84 BRIANWOOD Year Entered: 1963 Year Discharged: KIA Medals / Citations: NAVY MEDICAL SCHOOL - GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS MARINE MEDIUM HELICOPTER SQUADRON 363, MARINE AIR GROUP 13 (MAG-13) 1ST MARINE AIRCRAFT WING (MAW), MARINE MEDIUM HELICOPTER SQUADRON 265 (HMM- 265) PURPLE HEART REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE RIBBON Served in War Zone Service Notes: Theater of Operations / Assignment: VIETNAM Hospital Corpsman Third Class Peter R. Bossman was Killed in Action on 25 September 1966 aboard a Marine Corps helicopter when the aircraft was shot down / HM3 Bossman was on an evacuation mission when shot down near Dong Ha Quang Tri Province. On 25 September 1966 a UH-34D (BuNo ) belonging to HMM-161 launched on a night medical evacuation mission in support of a Marine unit that had suffered casualities was engaged in heavy combat along Highway 9 in the jungle covered mountains during Operation Prairie. The weather was good with a very bright full moon. Four Marine aircrewmen from HMM-161 a Navy Corpsman (HM3 Peter Bossman) assigned to HMM-265 were aboard the aircraft. HM3 Bossman's UH-34 helicopter was hit in flight by an artillery shell, broke up, crashed in flames. The incident was witnessed by crewmen in the escorting gunships from a distance of about 75 yards. Ground troops were able to reach the aircraft wreckage were able to recover two badly burned bodies but no other remains. Although assault, medevac, gunship helicopters regularly flew in areas being subjected to friendly artillery fire, this incident is the only documented case of a Marine helicopter being struck in flight by friendly fire. Base Assignments: Great Lakes Training Center - home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois / Naval Station Great Lakes is the second largest military installation in Illinois the

16 largest training station in the Navy Miscelleaneous: Peter Bossman graduated from the West Seneca Central High School in 1962 enlisted in the Navy in 1963 Hospitalman Third Class Peter R. Bossman was 21 years of age at the time of his death One of the earliest helicopters employed in Southeast Asia, the primary Marine Corps helicopter used during the early years of the war, was the Sikorsky UH34D Seahorse. This aircraft was already quite old when they arrived in the battle zone. However, both the US South Vietnamese military found them to be extremely effective throughout the war Highway 9 was a primary east-west road that ran from the South Vietnamese/Laos border nearly to the coastline where it intersected Highway 1, the primary north-south road that paralleled the coastline nearly the entire length of Vietnam. Highway 9 became a major part of the North Vietnamese infiltration route once they crossed into South Vietnam from the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail